Here's an interesting new element to throw out. I've taken thetime to call in some folks who know this stuff better than I do -- folksinvolved in the space program, who've been willing to do a little freework/research/thought -- and have asked them to *really* go over thiswhole sound in space issue. What I've gotten back is interesting.

One of the questions I asked if, "If you're 100 feet away from alarge ship that explodes, will you hear anything?" The first answer Igot back was, "Depends on who the "you" is that we're talking about. Ifby "you" you mean the tympanic membrane in your ear...no, because you'llbe dead, killed in the explosion at that kind of range."

But if we're talking about the microphone...things get different.

Ships contain atmosphere. The bigger the ship, the greater thevolume of atmosphere. Now...a ship explodes. Inside the ship, you candefinitely hear it. The hull ruptures. The atmosphere blows out in alldirections. Within the range of that atmosphere, before it dissipates(which would be very fast), *you will hear sound in space*. For as longas that atmosphere bubble extends. You'll also hear objects whizzingpast you within that curtain (provided that they're not moving past thespeed of sound). Then, very quickly, it'll fizzle out.

To the camera's POV, then, what you get is a sequence: flash, soundwithin a VERY limited range depending on the volume of air in the ship,quick whizz and quick fizz.

On the second question, "Could you hear a ship passing by?" therewere also interesting responses. In order for a ship to move throughspace, it has to be pushing out some sort of medium to propel itforward. If that medium is in any way gaseous, and you pass directlyin its wake, you have the same situation as the explosion: limitedsound. But you can't hear it from the side, or in front of the ship.And again, it's *very* short range, only within the residual gases beingemitted. Though there might be a shockwave effect if a ship passes yourship in VERY close proximity.

We're still getting some opinions on this from other experts, butthis seems to be kind of a growing consensus. All of which I find veryinteresting. The sound-in-space issue has become something of ashibboleth among SF fans...if it's there at all, it means someone's beingsloppy. But the way it's shaping up, this may not be an either/or issue,dead silence or full sound. I'll post more on this later, but thoughty'all might like a preliminary report on this issue.